As Isabel Archer experienced 150 years ago, the psychology or independence versus marriage, wealth versus poverty, male versus female and American versus European are as valid a topic for conversation and meditation as they were in Victorian times. Henry James takes the reader through these elements of psychology largely from the viewpoint of the protagonist - Isabel Archer, and her interactions with family, friends, suitors, lovers and children in this classic tale of romance, tragedy and hope.
The fundamental thought that a woman has the right to be independent was one of the driving forces behind the narrative - and the sorrow that her marriage brings one of the driving tragedies. Certainly ahead of its time as far as the self-sufficient woman, there are two elements that appear to continue to drive the story through some 550 pages of prose. The first is that ultimately there is a need for interdependence, and independence is truly illusory. The second is that there is a psychology to live vicariously as an element of that independence. Throughout the book, the extremely well developed characters interact in such a way as to imply independence, yet all the lives weave together with Isabel at the center of the web, and any pull on one strand impacts all others in some degree.
Many would rate the book 5 stars based on reputation and the strength of the underlying psychological elements. The fact the book resonates 150 years after it was written is attestation to the timeless ability to tap the human condition. However, the prose is dated and the development of the story lengthy. The books ramps slowly, and only began really capturing the imagination of this reader about 200 pages in. The modern "typical" reader will find this a bit hard sledding to read and digest. It is a book that should be read, but is of another age, and rates as such.
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